Seattle Police Will Require 'Supporting Evidence' Before Sending Officers to Investigate Alarm Calls

Seattle Police announced that they will no longer respond to alarm calls unless they're given "supporting evidence" that a crime is happening.

The Seattle Police Department shared in a letter that beginning Oct. 1, officers will only be dispatched to alarm company calls if audio, video, panic alarms or eyewitness evidence is also submitted.

The letter stated, "We will no longer respond to calls from alarm companies based only on sensor or motion activations. With depleted resources, we cannot prioritize a patrol response when there is a very low probability that criminal activity is taking place."

The Seattle government's police page stated that the Seattle 9-1-1 call center received about 13,000 calls about tripped alarms in 2023, but less than 4% of those calls actually ended up having a crime associated with them.

SPD said the letter was sent to alarm companies, recommending that they also notify their customers of these changes.

Steve Autio, the branch manager for ADI Global Distribution, told KIRO Newsradio that while they understand the department's reasoning, he wished they could have worked together to come up with a better solution.

"I think the reason they're doing this is they figure they don't have enough officers. But the problem is, it's going to make the city even less safe," Autio told the station.